One of the more controversial Social Media/Networking tools out there is Twitter.
It seems to polarize views one way or the other, with strongly held opinions as to it being a complete waste of time frequently expressed.
In addition there are continued requests for a measure of return on investment should you chose to use it.
When used in a marketing context, twitter is a tool like any other.
As such it is subject to the general tests of whether it is effective for your business, and these are more important than getting bogged down in a debate about the features (or lack of) on twitter and how the platform delivers its service.
Therefore it is worth considering the following as they relate to marketing tools generally, and twitter specifically.
1.
Business purpose - What does your business set out to do? What are you passionate about and how is that reflected in your business and the services you provide.
This is critical.
Effective communication on a fast moving medium like twitter demands a clear idea of the things in which you are interested, conversations you want to follow and people with whom you would like to connect.
A lack of focus in this area and the amount of information on twitter may overwhelm you 2.
Your ideal client/prospect/audience - Who is your service for? Who is a good target/influencer in that market? Who represents a useful connection? It is important to understand this in as much detail as possible.
Why? Again it is an issue of focus.
It will make twitter more useful by allowing you to home in on areas of interest, where you have something to say and that matches your business passion 3.
Goals for the tool - What are you trying to do and what is the most desired outcome? Be as specific as possible as it relates to twitter.
If you are looking for traffic to your website, this will drive your approach.
If the goal is too vague e.
g.
"to connect with people" you will risk lack of focus and therefore results.
Measure success against these goals 4.
Commitment - all marketing tools require a level of commitment once chosen.
With twitter, simply going on there to "have a look" because people tell you you should be using it is often ineffective and you will leave soon thereafter.
There is quite a learning curve since twitter doesn't have the most user friendly interface.
When you have planned and set it up for what you need, that curve will be shortened, but you still need to commit and go through it.
Twitter CAN be useful, OR a waste of time! To a large extent, it is up to you which one you experience.
As with most marketing efforts, it will replay you if you plan, approach it with that plan in mind, review results and adjust accordingly and give it a reasonable time frame to succeed with dedicated effort.
The tool itself MAY be a fad, but even if it goes away, this approach to using marketing tools will apply to the next twitter that comes along.
It seems to polarize views one way or the other, with strongly held opinions as to it being a complete waste of time frequently expressed.
In addition there are continued requests for a measure of return on investment should you chose to use it.
When used in a marketing context, twitter is a tool like any other.
As such it is subject to the general tests of whether it is effective for your business, and these are more important than getting bogged down in a debate about the features (or lack of) on twitter and how the platform delivers its service.
Therefore it is worth considering the following as they relate to marketing tools generally, and twitter specifically.
1.
Business purpose - What does your business set out to do? What are you passionate about and how is that reflected in your business and the services you provide.
This is critical.
Effective communication on a fast moving medium like twitter demands a clear idea of the things in which you are interested, conversations you want to follow and people with whom you would like to connect.
A lack of focus in this area and the amount of information on twitter may overwhelm you 2.
Your ideal client/prospect/audience - Who is your service for? Who is a good target/influencer in that market? Who represents a useful connection? It is important to understand this in as much detail as possible.
Why? Again it is an issue of focus.
It will make twitter more useful by allowing you to home in on areas of interest, where you have something to say and that matches your business passion 3.
Goals for the tool - What are you trying to do and what is the most desired outcome? Be as specific as possible as it relates to twitter.
If you are looking for traffic to your website, this will drive your approach.
If the goal is too vague e.
g.
"to connect with people" you will risk lack of focus and therefore results.
Measure success against these goals 4.
Commitment - all marketing tools require a level of commitment once chosen.
With twitter, simply going on there to "have a look" because people tell you you should be using it is often ineffective and you will leave soon thereafter.
There is quite a learning curve since twitter doesn't have the most user friendly interface.
When you have planned and set it up for what you need, that curve will be shortened, but you still need to commit and go through it.
Twitter CAN be useful, OR a waste of time! To a large extent, it is up to you which one you experience.
As with most marketing efforts, it will replay you if you plan, approach it with that plan in mind, review results and adjust accordingly and give it a reasonable time frame to succeed with dedicated effort.
The tool itself MAY be a fad, but even if it goes away, this approach to using marketing tools will apply to the next twitter that comes along.
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